Miller Lite revives ‘Great Taste, Less Filling’ ads

MILWAUKEE - The debate lives on.

For years, Miller Lite drinkers, including notables like comic Rodney Dangerfield and football coach John Madden, bickered back and forth. Some said the drink tasted great. Others said it was less filling.

Well now they'll have a chance to debate again. MillerCoors LLC is reviving its "Great Taste, Less Filling" tag line, which was created more than 30 years ago.

The company, a newly formed joint venture between SABMiller's U.S. unit and Denver-based Molson Coors Brewing Co., told distributors in a letter Tuesday the campaign is back.

The tagline will appear starting Sept. 1 in revised spots of last year's "More Taste League" — an ad campaign that airs during football season.

All national Miller Lite radio spots will immediately start using the "Great Taste, Less Filling" tags, the company said. Marketing materials in stores will feature the slogan as well.

The revised positioning is part of MillerCoors' efforts to simultaneously grow its two big brands, Coors Light and Miller Lite. Both are major players in the light beer segment, behind industry leader Bud Light, which is made by Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.

The "Great Taste, Less Filling" tagline has never completely gone away, but it was last used prominently in a campaign which ended in 1991, MillerCoors said.

MillerCoors is competing for market share against St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, which controls about half the market. Anheuser-Busch recently accepted a buyout offer from Belgian brewer InBev SA worth $52 billion.

The industry is seeing much consolidation as brewers grapple with rising costs for ingredients and fuel and a clientele that is increasingly reaching for wine, spirits and craft beers.

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